Rational Fear
by The Knight of Thirteen
Summary: After six years of normal life, Naota's world gets turned upside down once again by the sudden return of an old friend. Haruko is back, and chaos is sure to follow!
1. Chapter 1

_**So, this is my very first attempt at writing for this fandom. Naota is slightly OOC, but it is meant to signify that he is maturing. Haruko is also slightly OOC, but it was just hard to try and keep her in character with what all is going on. Just pretend it is due to the events of her travels. I hope someone enjoys this, and i do plan to continue this eventually!**_

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"Eri, come on. We're going to be late for class if we don't get going!" Naota leaned in the door way with his guitar and backpack hanging from his shoulder. The dark haired girl he was speaking to was sitting in his chair running a brush quickly through her hair.

"Hold on! Why didn't you set your alarm earlier?!" She was frantically trying to tug her socks on with one hand as she tied her hair back with the other. No time for any fancy styling today.

"Because I didn't realize it took you an hour to get ready in the mornings!" He huffed and sat his bag on the ground. It was heavy. He carried not only his own school materials, but also those of his closest friend, and recently girlfriend, Eri Ninamori. And in addition to that, he also had a couple of books on how to play the guitar, song books, and a few notebooks for things he had written himself.

"I don't understand how you can get ready in fifteen minutes! That is barely long enough for a shower!"

"The shower is just to rinse off and wake up, so it only takes five minutes. And I brush my teeth and hair while i'm in there. You don't need a full deep clean twice a day and I know you shower of the evenings too." Eri tossed a shoe at him when he started making a valid argument.

"Shut up! I'm ready, lets go!" She hopped up and slipped into the disguarded shoe as she walked past him. He smiled and picked up his bag. He knew the others would freak out when they bothed walked out of his house today.

He knew what it would look like. They'd been close friends for years, always been attracted to each other, finally started dating, and less than a week later, she's walking out of his house in the morning. Of course, she'd only been over to finish some homework and ended up falling asleep at his desk while he passed out on his bunk, but no one would believe that.

"Hey, you've both got a lunch on the table! I'll be out when you get back, fix whatever you like for dinner." Naota's father called from the back of the shop as the two desended the stairs. The man had changed over the last couple of years. He'd finally met a woman who could put up with him and she'd immediately set to work straightening out some of his worst habits and traits.

He was by no means a mature and functional member of society, but he was no longer a hopelessly perverted, irresponsible moron. He could be counted on to do the basic chores and duties of a typical high school student's father. His magazine's popularity had gone up recently, and he'd been hired on at the local paper, where he worked most afternoons and evenings.

"Thanks Dad!" Naota smiled and grabbed the two paper bags, handing one to Eri as he locked the door behind them. She took it and opened it, looking inside.

"Oh it's leftovers from their date so this should be delicious!" Eri refolded the top of the bag and turned toward the street to find their two friends waiting with very pointed looks.

"So what were you two up to last night?" One of them asked. The other sniggered and Eri glared them both into submission.

"We were completing our weekend homework. Did either of _you_ two finish it?" They both looked at each other guiltily.

"Actually, do you think we could have a look at yours?" Eri dialed her glare up another notch and Naota tried not to laugh as the two withered. It was nice spending less time on the receiving end of that glare since high school had started.

It had been six years since the unbelievable events that still haunted his dreams had occurred, and a lot had happened. After two years away, Mamimi came back to visit with the beginnings of a legitimate career taking shape. Coincidentally, Tasku returned from America at almost the exact same time, walking through the door to surprise his family only to see his ex girlfriend sitting at the table talking to them.

It had been a rather awkward reunion, but ended with no screaming and no blood, so Naota could call it a success as his family went. His brother had only stayed a week before returning to America. Mamimi visited daily for that week, and sent him some contact info to pass on if he met anyone in the photography business in America.

She went back out into the world only a week after that, and hadn't returned since. Naota still respected his brother, but had stopped idolizing him a while ago. It was hard to think of anyone from this planet as extraordinary when he'd met an alien who put all humans to shame.

Eri's parents had reconciled and her father did not run for re election. They were now just a slightly more wealthy family with no special status. It made things a lot less awkward for her and Naota. After grade school Naota had tripled his efforts on his school work. He'd decided he wanted out of this town and college was the best way to make that happen.

So he'd began studying and working as hard as he could. He kept up with Eri in grades and it re solidified their friendship. When she found she could respect him academically, her crush on him had only skyrocketed. It had still taken them almost three years to start dating.

Their two friends still walked to school with them, and ate lunch with them, but they had mostly gone their separate ways. Life had finally settled into a normal rhythm after the cataclysmic events that had shaken the entire city.

But normal just wasn't in Naota's destiny.

His first thought was one of exasperation and defeat.

"More aliens? Great... Why me? Do I just attract weirdness?"

Eri and the other two ran immediately. Eri tugged on his arm, but he told her to leave him and hide. He didn't have a clue what he intended to do, but he knew he stood a better chance than his friends did. He tossed his bag aside and picked his guitar up in one hand like a bat.

The creature that stood before him was like nothing he'd ever seen. It was tall, at least seven foot. It was built like a buffalo, with enough bone and muscle to build three or four pro wrestlers, and it held a long, thick, sharp sword that was at least as long as Naota was tall. The creature had appeared out of nowhere, as if it had been hiding in the crowd and suddenly tossed off it's disguise.

It sneared down at Naota and lifted it's sword over its head. Naota lifted his guitar and swung just as he saw the blade begin to desend. He struck it at the half way point of its arc, causing it to miss him and instead gauge a deep trench in the pavement, cleaving the stone in two like butter.

Naota swallowed and tried not to look as afraid as he felt. The creature's snear turned into a glare as it raised the sword again.

Naota closed his eyes and hoped Eri wouldn't be next on the creature's list.

Then he heard something that made his spine tingle and his eyes open in surprise. As scream. No, maybe a yell is a better word. No. It came to him. A war cry. A shout of anticipation and courage and determination that made him want to grin. The sound flooded his mind with memories. Happy, sad, angry, painful, beloved, terrible. Memories of someone truly unforgetable. He looked up and watched in awe as the creature's face turned to shock, and then terror.

A girl, no older than himself, with pink hair and a double guitar clutched in her hands was flying through the air with a look of triumph on her face. She struck the beast square in the chest, snapping it's blade like a twig as she plowed her own weapon into him. Naota heard it's ribs give way beneath the blow. The impact would have rolled a fully grown elephant. The creature never stood a chance.

The girl straightened up, pushing her goggle up her forehead and resting the guitar on her shoulder. She turned around slowly to see who she had just rescued and Naota would forever treasure the look of shock that came over her in that instant.

"Naota? Ta-kun, is that really you?!" She stared open mouthed at the young man who was standing before her. A man who clutched her very own guitar in his hands as if it were his most valuable posession.

"Hey Haruko. It's been a while." She stared for a moment longer, then dropped the double guitar and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Naota and laughing with delight.

"Naota you're still alive! How long has it been? Five years? Six years? It can't have been much longer than that, or you are looking really young for twenty. Or maybe you're just looking really old for thirteen? I didn't think you'd mature that fast." Naota couldn't help but laugh.

"Six years, Haruko. Where have you been?" She stepped back and took a deep breath. She sighed and then picked up the instrument and leaned on it.

"Everywhere. I searched the whole universe for Atomsk, but I never found even a whisper. Rumor is his power dried up. It would explain why this stopped working." She held up her wrist, where a shackle with a single chain link was attached.

"I'm not sure I follow." He'd seen that plenty of times, but it rarely so much as wiggled.

"This was a source of power. It was directly bound to Atomsk by quantum entanglement and a powerful N.O. portal. It made me experience time differently. It also ampliphied my own N.O. Abilities. Now i'm just a normal girl with a guitar and a scooter. Well... normal-er." She grinned at Naota and he laughed.

"So are you staying in town for a while? I've still got your bunk cleaned off." She looked at him with interest.

"You've changed. Can't quite tell what it is, but something is majorly different. Sure, I could use a place to crash for a while. Thanks. Oi! You three can stop cowering behind the shrub, I don't bite on mondays!" I looked over my shoulder to see Eri and the other two attempting to take cover behind a rather sickly looking bush.

"You... You're that woman from before... From six years ago..." Eri sounded terrified.

"Yeah. I guess I am. You're the one who touched Naota's ears when I told you not to." Eri blushed and looked at the ground angrily.

"Why did you come back? Things were finally back to normal." Haruko's smile faded to be replaced by the look of a kicked puppy.

"If I hadn't come back, you'd have half of a Naota for home, and half for school. That creature came here before I did, and it wasn't alone. All hell is about to break lose if something isn't done to stop it. Do you really hate me that much?" Naota was shocked by the hurt in Haruko's voice. He'd never imagined her caring about anyone's opinion of her.

"You... You... You want to take Naota away, don't you?" Eri cracked. She looked small and defeated.

"What he does and where he goes are his own choice. I came here to stop these guys from wrecking my home away from home. I don't know how long i'll stay after that's done, but when I leave, if I leave, i'll let Naota come with me if he wants to." Eri began crying silently. Naota put an arm around her and hugged her.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm still here, Eri. Did you think I was going to just hop on her vespa and fly off without a word?" She looked up at him and shook her head. She sniffed and then wiped her eyes.

"No. You're right. I was being dumb. And the alien is right. If there are more of these, that is a bigger priority than your travel plans."

"Right! So, you seem like you're out of practice, Naota. That was a pretty miserable attempt at fighting you know." Haruko grinned at him again.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess there haven't been many meteors or aliens to practice on lately. I'll get the hang of it again." He couldn't help but laugh. It felt like no time had passed since she'd left. She'd appeared out of nowhere, changed him and turned his world upside down, then vanished. No she was back, and he felt like he owed who he was now to her.

"Ha! Well there will be plenty of aliens to practice on! You still radiate with a small trace of Atomsk's power, so they decided to investigate you first. As long as you're alive, their threat assesment technology will keep them focused here. I'll probably do a good job of that too. They have a bit of an irrational fear of me." Her look of pride and energy was contagious and all four of the teenagers soon found themselves grinning broadly.

"So, they'll attack the two of you. Do you have a plan beyond bashing them with guitars?" Eri was the voice of reason as usual.

"We'll need to get in contact with Commander Amarao. He should be able to lend us some support if we can make him understand i'm not the threat. He's a moron, but his heart is in the right place." Naota nodded.

"I think I may have his contact info from the investigation six years ago." He pulled out his cell phone and his wallet, digging through a stack of cards and folded notes until he found the one he wanted. "Here." Haruko took the two items and dialed, holding the device to her ear and waiting.

"Commander Amarao?"

"No, Amarao was removed from duty five years ago. This is Commander Kitsurabami. May I ask who this is, and how you got this number?" The voice over the phone was slightly familiar.

"Oh you're his old assistant that tried to shoot the robot! This is Haruko Haruhara. There is an extraterrestrial attack immanent and we're going to need the help of your organization to avert disaster."

"Haruko? The one he called Raharu? What sort of trouble has followed you here this time?!"

"Followed me? I followed it, you primitive monkey!" Haruko snarled at the phone.

"Really? Well... We'll deal with that later. What sort of help can we be to someone like you?"

"If you can shoot down their main ship, Naota and I can deal with the ones who make it to their emergency teleports and land on the surface. They will all still be aimed near by I believe."

"Naota? So that's how you got the number. Haven't you caused that boy enough trouble?" Eri nodded and Haruko gave her a strange look then ignored the comment all together.

"Your fire power should be sufficient to bring it down in one direct hit, just don't miss. If you do, they'll put up their shields and land on the surface, then we'll have a real problem."

"Alright. Understood. We will be speaking more when this is over though." The line went dead and Haruko glared at the phone for a moment before handing it back to Naota.

"Alright, we need to be ready. Let's head out to the old baseball field near the city limits. We'll draw them away from the civilians. You three should go about your business and pretend you know nothing about this." Haruko looked at Naota's friends. Eri locked eyes with him for a few seconds before nodding and turning away.

"Alright. Wait for them to attack. You've got the advantage of speed and manuverability. Dodge and attack, alright?" Naota nodded dumbly. "Go for their torso or head. Their arms and legs are to heavily armored for you to get through." More nodding. "Is any of this making it inside that head of yours?"

"Yeah, i'm just nervous I guess. You remember I was sharig my body with Atomsk the last time I fought, don't you? And I was inside Cante every time before that."

"You weren't when you swung the bat for the first time. You were on your own, and you pulled through. You were impressive. You were more of a man back then than most guys ever become. And you've only grown stronger and more mature since then. You can do this, Naota."

"Thanks, Haruko. I really missed you, you know? It's good to see you, but do you think you could have just stopped by to chat instead of staying away till everything went to hell?" The pink haired girl cackled madly and grinned at her friend.

"You're something else! I didn't expect you to have grown a sense of humor while I was away too!" Naota could only laugh and shake his head. She was the same as ever. Confident and strong. Beautiful and dangerous. A pillar of fire in the desolate wasteland of his monotonous life in Mabase.

"Did you mean it, when you said I could come with you this time? I'm working to get into college so I can leave this place, but that will only take me so far. With you, I could see the world. I could see the universe even." Haruko opened her mouth to speak when the sky erupted in flames.

The explosion resounded through Naota's chest and the ground beneath his feet. He stared at the sky as an enormous ship broke apart and burned to ash in the atmosphere. "Looks like they nailed it. Get ready."

"Right." Naota nodded and shouldered Haruko's old guitar. "We'll come out of this alive? Both of us?"

Haruko looked over at him as the first fleeing aliens teleported to the ground near them. She looked confused for a moment, or maybe lost. Then her confident grin returned.

"You and me? No power in the universe can stop us!" With that she opened her mouth and let out her war cry as she charged into the group. The aliens faltered when they saw her. Naota took a breath and clenched his teeth.

He sighed and charged after her, roaring out with all the terror and desperation and determination he had in his heart, and to his disbelief, the invaders looked just as terrified of him.

"You... you did it." Eri stared at him in awe, covered in blood and ash from head to toe, a slightly dented guitar slung over his shoulder, and a triumphant smile on his face. Haruko had won the honor of first bath by killing more of the aliens than Naota.

"Yeah. You're okay? Is everyone alright?" Eri nodded.

"Everyone at school was fine. But the whole town heard the explosion. They thought we were under attack. I hoped it was that lady from the phone. Both of our parents are fine. The news said two of the creatures appeared in town, but the police were able to stop them. Five officers died."

Naota didn't feel as triumphant any more. After all he'd done, and as hard as he'd fought, people had still died.

"Alright, I'm clean. Your turn!" Haruko slid down the banister and jumped to her feet beside the two teenagers. "You smell like donkey vomit. Hurry up." Naota held the guitar out to her and she took it carefully.

"I've held onto it for you." She shook her head and handed it back.

"First of all, it needs a bath as bad as you. Second, it's yours. It's a gift. Fighting with each others weapon is considered a bond of friendship and trust beyond any other on some planets. Now stop stalling and go!"

Naota took the instrument, and walked up the stairs quietly, lost in thought.

"Thank you for bringing him back alive." Eri refused to look at the older girl.

"He saved me as many times as I saved him. He's not helpless. Your boyfriend up there isn't some powerless school boy anymore. He's a hero. He's a warrior. He's been a man longer than his own father." Eri looked up at Haruko is surprise.

"He never talks about what happened back then. I always thought it was because the memories terrified him. Now I see. He missed it. All of it. Most of all, you." Haruko couldn't help but smile at the girl's words.

"Don't give up on him." Eri looked at her with confusion. "I'll take him with me, if he chooses, but that isn't for a while. And... I think he'd be better off staying with you. I won't try to change his mind, and you shouldn't either. But... don't give up on him. As long as you're here, he'll have a reason to stay."

"You... want him to stay?"

"Yeah. He'll be safer here. He'll have a normal life, and once he leaves this city, he could find a career, marry you, be happy. He deserves to be happy. No one should have to live the life I live. But I couldn't live any other way. He's not me, though. Not yet. He's at a turning point. He'll choose one of two lives, and we need to both be honest with him about what he's choosing."

"I.. agree. You're right. I... hadn't realize you actually care about him." Haruko smiled gently.

"It's hard not to care about him. You know that better than anyone." Eri nodded and smiled back at the woman for the first time since they met.

"Yeah. Well, he'll be back down soon. May the best woman win?" Eri held out her hand. Haruko blinked, then took it.

"Yeah. I'm beat. Tell Naota I'm going to go crash. He'll want to say a proper goodnight to you. Guys are interesting after a good long dose of adrenaline. Night." Haruko yawned and waved as she went up the stairs toward Naota's room.

"Night..." Eri sighed and sat on the bottom stair.

_At least I know that if I lose, he'll be in good hands..._

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**_Please read and review! Reviews will make me write chapter two sooner rather than much much later!_**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Haruko, since you got your power from Atomsk, and he's gone, how are you still so strong? Is it just because you are an alien?" Naota sat a bowl of cereal in front of the woman as he sat down to eat his own.

"No, I just retained any of his powers that I was able to master before he disappeared. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve thanks to that. Hey... Where is Canti?" Haruko looked around suddenly.

"Oh... Yeah... He's at the bottom of the river somewhere. We think he may have been trying to kill himself... After you and Mamimi left and Grandpa passed away, he was sort of depressed. But his circuits were waterproof, so he just ended up rusting. We still get garbled messages on the TV sometimes. It really freaks out guests." Haruko stared at him for a moment, then fell out of her chair laughing.

"That is ridiculous! He must have picked up a bit of you when he ate you the first time and used it to fix any gaps I left in his programming when I bashed him! Then you matured beyond that and he didn't, so when all that happened, he couldn't cope, but you could!" Naota stared at her. He wasn't sure how funny it was to know that if he hadn't matured he would have tried to kill himself.

"Yeah... Well he asked us to leave him there, so we did. What are you going to do while I'm at school and Dad's at work?"

"I'm going to meet with Kitsurabami and then fix up my scooter. Don't worry, I'll stay out of trouble. Mostly."

"Yeah, sure. You still remember my number in case I need to come bail you out of something, right?"

The alien nodded joyfully and downed her cereal in a few mouthfuls before standing up and stretching. Naota took the opportunity to appreciate how attractive the woman was. He shook his head. Eri was just as beautiful. Maybe more so. He was only thinking like this because of an old crush and because she's an alien. She's interesting, so that makes her seem more attractive. That must be it. He finished eating and grabbed his back pack and guitar.

"I'll probably be a bit late. I usually walk Eri home and do most of my homework there before I come home. And I'll have a ton since I missed class to fight aliens with you." Naota laughed at how ridiculous that excuse sounded and considered giving it just to see his teacher's reaction. But no, Eri had already delivered news that he'd been sick, so he wouldn't risk getting her in trouble for lying just to amuse himself.

His day went quickly, with only a little bit of questioning from his two old friends, and a surprisingly small amount of make up work. By the time he an Eri were putting their books away, he found he was anxious to get home and see Haruko. It made him feel guilty to want to spend time with a woman who wasn't Eri, but he told himself that even if Haruko were a guy, he'd still want to hang out with her. They were friends.

When he got home, he found his dad had left a note saying he was going to be out all night on a "date". Naota sighed and headed up stairs. When he opened his bedroom door, he could only stare. Haruko was wearing nothing but a pink towel wrapped around her middle, barely hiding her breasts or rear, and carefully wrapping bandages around her shins and arms. He blinked a few times and forced himself to focus on the important issue.

"Haruko, are you okay? What happened?" The girl looked up at him and gave him a half smile before returning to her task.

"It's nothing. Just hadn't realized how much I had relied on Atomsk's power for healing before. And I'm not used to earth's gravity any more. It'll just take a few tumbles and I'll be back in the swing of things. Any ways, it's just a few scratches. Nothing to worry about." He walked over and sat beside her on the bed, taking the bandages and finishing her right arm, which she was having trouble with. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"I thought you said you'd be home late."

"Got done early. And I wanted to hang out with you. It's been a while since we could stay up late talking about the universe and the future and all the things beyond this town."

"Yeah... I'm glad you came home early. I got the scooter working right again, and I think I can handle a slow drive. Want to go check out the meteor shower tonight?" Naota looked at her in surprise.

"Meteor shower? I didn't know there was going to be a meteor shower! They usually announce stuff like that at school!"

"Well, it isn't actually meteors. It's the rest of the fragments of the ship that they blew up. They'll start hitting the atmosphere around nine tonight. It'll be a once in a life time thing to see. Hopefully." She grinned at him and he knew he would never be able to say no. And he didn't want to.

A few hours later, after a long ride under the stars, they were laying in the field at the edge of town where they had fought side by side. They'd brought a blanket and were stretched out next to each other with a pillow shared between them. The sky was alight with streaks of fire every few seconds. It was breathtaking.

Naota thought about Eri. She would love this. But she was probably asleep. Tomorrow, this would be the talk of the school, and if she found out he had seen it without her, what would he say? He'd watched it with another woman? A woman he had liked for years? Who was incredibly beautiful, but also unmatchable in her bravery and passion? No. She'd hate him. She'd have every right to hate him.

He decided then what he needed to do, and knew it was probably a mistake. He closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed. He would enjoy the night before he faced that confrontation tomorrow.

"Look at that one that's burning blue! That's from the copper in one of the turbine motors! And that purple is one of the fuel tanks! And the red ones are probably from the iron in the frame. Not the most efficient engineers, but they sure got the job done. They've taken over almost seven solar systems with that technology. Kitsurabami and her crew are doing their best to keep them out of this one."

"Oh yeah, how did your meeting go?"

"Ha! Amarao was a nut job, and they all knew it. All charges were cleared, but I'm still considered a potential threat and if I make one threatening move, they'll blast whatever city block I'm on, so you might not want to sit so close." She laughed and flipped her head back, causing her salmon hair to brush against Naota's forehead.

"I'll take my chances. Hey Haruko, Amarao always said your name was actually Raharu. Is that true?"

"Not really. That isn't any more my real name than Haruko is. I've gone by a lot of names. But I really like Haruko, so I'm sticking with it for a while. And before you ask, I actually don't remember what my real name is. A lot has happened since those days, and I've got a lot of gaps in my memory."

"Oh. Alright. I like Haruko too. The name, I mean." He felt his cheeks warm up and focused on a streak of bright white. "What is that?"

"Magnesium. From their weapons. If they had fired that off, it would have melted the flesh off of every living person and burned every building to the ground." Naota was in awe of how close to disaster the city had come once again.

"I can't wait to leave this place." Naota closed his eyes for a moment. Haruko laughed at him.

"And here I was in such a rush to get back." She sat up and looked over at him. "Of course, that was more for you than the town, but still. I'm glad you were still here." He smiled as he opened his eyes and looked over at her.

"Yeah, I guess I kinda am too." He shivered. "It's getting a bit chilly, lets head home."

* * *

The next day, Naota approached Eri after class.

"Hey, we need to talk." Eri's eyes said she knew what was coming.

"I knew it would happen sooner or later... What happened?"

"Nothing. But I am confused about what I'm feeling right now, and I don't want to risk making a mistake that would hurt both of us and ruin our friendship. I think we should stop dating for a while. Until I get my head sorted out. Is... that okay?"

"Yeah. I prefer this to you cheating on me if things got out of hand. Just... please don't forget that I still care about you. I won't ask you to choose me, just don't forget me. Remember that as alluring as what she offers is, you have other choices." Naota nodded at her words, then hugged her.

"I care about you too. And I would never be able to forget you. I'm not making a decision yet. I'm going to continue doing my school work as if I plan to go to college with you, and I will continue hanging out with Haruko and learning anything she will teach me in case I go with her." Naota adjusted his guitar strap on his shoulder.

"Thank you. Are you still coming over to work on homework?" Eri looked embarrassed to even ask.

"If you'll have me. We're still friends, and Haruko is rubbish at basically everything but math and science. Should have seen her trying to locate different countries on a map." Eri laughed, glad to know the woman wasn't perfect in her friend's eyes.

"Sure, come on." She grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the door. He followed without a word.

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he opened the door was the music. It was strange. One moment, it was rapid, strong, clear cut rock music, then it would fade into a smooth, flowing lullaby, then it would spike back up again. It pulled his emotions back and forth like they were on a string.

He'd never actually heard Haruko play before, but there was no mistaking it. No one else could make music that was scattered, but so consistently passionate. He grinned and walked casually up the stairs. When he opened his door, she was sitting on his bed, her eyes closed, and her fingers moving across the strings like they had a mind of their own.

"Never knew you could actually play that thing." Naota walked over and took a seat next to her as she slowly came to a finish and sat the instrument down beside her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, one corner of her mouth twitching upwards.

"You know, you didn't have to break up with Eri." Haruko leaned back on the mattress and closed her eyes again. Naota lowered his head. She knew already?

"I think it will be better this way for a while." He leaned back next to her. She had been using his shampoo. Her hair smelled nicer than him though. He blinked at the bottom of the top bunk. He had gotten used to sharing his room with her again in a matter of days. It felt like she had never left.

"You know, if you go with me, there will be more fighting. Battling aliens. Saving worlds. It won't all be rides along the beach and watching the stars." Haruko let her head fall to look at him in profile. He turned his head so their noses were almost touching.

"I know. That's basically all it was last time, and I still wanted to go didn't I?" Naota smiled at her, staring into her eyes. "How old are you, really?"

"Ha! Far too old for you. But... then again I stopped aging for a very long time thanks to Atomsk's power, so we're probably about the same age physically. And I'll actually age at a normal rate now. Oh well. Guess no girl can keep her looks forever." She grinned teasingly at him and scooted closer.

"Are you even human? I thought you said you were an alien." Naota raised an eyebrow but didn't retreat from her. Her grin grew wider.

"Who say's I can't be both? I'm definitely human... at least biologically. But I don't remember what planet I came from any more than my exact age or my real name. You really know about as much about me as I do..." Her smile shrank a little then. Naota slid his hand down to his side and wrapped it around hers. Her smile resurfaced again. "Well, you've certainly grown up. I guess it would be in bad taste to thank Eri for teaching you at this point though."

"Yeah... I don't think she would appreciate it." Naota let his smile slip a little. He didn't want to think about Eri right now. Not after they had just parted on good terms. "Is it true that you were in love with Atomsk?"

"Another of Commander Eyebrow's theories?" Haruko looked back at the bunk above them.

"Yeah. How did you guess?" Naota laughed.

"Cause he's loony toons. But yeah, I did sort of love Atomsk for a while, but that was before I knew who he was. He was disguised as a human then. I was his guard, and he tricked me into letting him escape. After that, I was determined to not only catch him at any cost, but to take the power he had used to trick me." Haruko's smile was gone and replaced with a look of near anger. Naota rolled fully to his side and looked at her.

"It's over now. I didn't know. I won't bring it up again."

"Sorry. Sore subject. Not your fault. Hey, you've gotten taller." Haruko smiled again, her toes touching his as she rolled to face him. "We're the same height now... That could come in handy."

"For what? Kissing me without a step ladder, or impersonating me?" Naota hadn't really meant to say that, but now that it was out, there was no point trying to take it back. Haruko didn't seem to mind.

"Among other things..." Haruko gave him a suggestive smile and slid one hand up to his hip, letting her head rest on the pillow so close he can feel her breath against his face.

* * *

"Well that's not good..." Haruko gave the device in her hand a surprised look as she pulled a clean shirt on. Naota cracked his eyes and forced himself to ignore her exposed stomach.

"What is it?" He sat up and yawned.

"Well... you know the aliens that attacked before? They had friends. I think we're going to have to strike first this time." Haruko picked up the double guitar and swung it over her shoulder, then stood waiting for him. He pulled on his shoes and grabbed his guitar, not bothering to change into anything special.

They were at Haruko's vespa in a few moments, and he began to get nervous.

"We aren't seriously riding that into space, are we?" He looked at the vehicle skeptically. It looked like a swift kick would dislodge some vital parts, much less breaking through the atmosphere.

"Of course not. We're taking an N.O. portal." She turned her mischievous grin on him. Oh no... He knew what was coming.

"You better not be planning to hit me in the head again..." He backed away slowly. She laughed.

"Not necessary. You devoured Atomsk. You're N.O. is permanently activated, and stronger than nearly anyone in the universe. You just have to relax and let me drive." He raised an eyebrow, but stopped and let her take his head in her hands. "Now, close your eyes, and give me your hand. This is going to feel a bit weird."

When Haruko says something is weird, she knows what she's talking about. She is the universal expert on weird. He felt a small tug on the forehead, then his arm and Haruko's sunk into his skull with surprisingly little resistance. The weird part came when he felt the rest of him slide through the fleshy portal, collapsing in upon himself until he landed on his feet with a small thump. Haruko was grinning at him as he opened his eyes.

"We're here. Their lead ship. We take this one over and shoot down their friends before they sound the alarm, and everything should be taken care of. If they call for help... Well I guess I'll start running you and your immediate friends and family to a less doomed planet." Haruko smiled reassuringly and patted his shoulder.

He didn't feel reassured.

* * *

_**Sorry this chapter was so long coming and so short! I've been busy over in the One Piece fandom, and just stumbled across some FLCL fanart that put me in the mood to finish up and post this chapter! I have not abandoned this, and i WILL finish it. Eventually. However, at the current moment, my number one priority is going to be putting up a few more chapters on Prophecy of Ragers and The Legacy Storm. **_


	3. Author's Notice! Important-ish!

Hey! This is a note on future updates, and I am posting the same document on several stories, so i'm sorry if it is not specifically directed at what you are interested in!

First off, a general notice. You! You people who keep reviewing and leaving comments, suggestions, and worst of all questions without logging in! _**STOP IT!**_ Do you know how frustrating it is to get a good question, suggestion, or comment that I want to respond to and find out it is from (Guest) Name?! It makes me want to light you on fire! Please, if you are going to take the time to leave a review, then also take the time to log in!

For the rest of this author's note, I will put a heading for each story this relates to so you can jump to whichever one you are interested in. I understand most people don't want to sit and read about stories in fandoms they don't care about.

**A Fate Far Worse Than Death** – Soul Eater fandom. First attempt at horror. I absolutely adore Stein. He is one of my favorite anime characters. I see my personality in him far too much to be healthy, but I promise I won't dissect anyone who doesn't really deserve it. I may, eventually, write more stories _like_ this one, but I will not be adding to it. This story is 100% completed. Except for the possibility of minor editing, it will not be updated again.

**A Head for a Head** – Durarara fandom. Celty x Shizuo pairing. Shinra and Izaya death. One of my absolute least popular stories. I'm not sure if it is just terrible, or if it is in a section of the genre that people just aren't interested in. I had originally planned to continue it, but after a bit to think about it, I'm calling it complete. It will take a lot of signed reviews of significant content to convince me otherwise.

**A Tsundere and an Otaku** – Lucky Star fandom. My first yuri story. Very well received, and fun to write. I may continue the series eventually, if I am struck with inspiration. I'm definitely not ruling it out as a future possibility.

**After The Requiem** – Code Geass fandom. I'm re writing the first chapter, and I will continue this one. Code Geass was my second anime and still one of my favorites. I have the second chapter half done, after rethinking how I wanted to approach the story, but I still need to make the first chapter lead up to it correctly.

**Before the Requiem** – Code Geass fandom. Not my best, but I wanted to put it out there. This one is not going anywhere. It's complete for now, and I will probably remove it later, improve it, and make it a small component of After the Requiem.

**Crona's Story** – Soul Eater fandom. Mostly done. I definitely have more to do with it, but it isn't a priority right now. It is fun to write, and I add a few paragraphs to chapter 8 whenever I get bored. Don't expect anything soon, but don't be surprised if it gets an update from time to time.

**Determination** – Trigun fandom. Done. I love the characters, and I'm sure there is tons more I could do with this one, but I'm just not really interested in continuing it. Unless unforeseen circumstances lead to me writing more for this fandom, this one is complete.

**Gregor and the Prophecy of Ragers** – Underland Chronicles fandom. In progress! My first real story, and one of my longest. I WILL finish this, but it may take a while. I had the first nine chapters planned out for a good year before I started writing, but when I got past that, I lost a lot of steam. I know where I want to go with it, I'm just not doing so great getting there. I will continue working on it sporadically, but it could a long time coming. Sorry. It WILL be 27 chapters, and possibly and epilogue.

**Heartbeat** – Durarara fandom. Again, extremely unpopular. Finished. All I wanted was to put another non-yaoi Shizuo and Izaya story out there. There aren't enough of them.

**Invader to Resident** – Invader Zim fandom. Tak x Gaz. Another fun one to write. I've got more planned for this one, but I am calling it finished until I decide how much more I want to add. If I continue, there will be OCs, and I am dealing with enough of those as it is right now.

**Rational Fear** – FLCL fandom. This is also in progress. As for the questions I have received about whether it will be Naota x Haruko or Naota x Eri, you'll have to wait and see, same as me. I'm writing this one as I go. There is no plan, cause that just isn't how FLCL works.

**Recoil** – Full Metal Panic. I enjoy writing for Sousuke, and have a continuation in the works, but it will be a new story, not a new chapter, so don't be looking for it there.

**Shouting Match** – Legend of Zelda and Portal crossover fandom. This was just an underdeveloped plot bunny I needed to slay. Chell and Link, the two coolest mute video game heroes, in my opinion. It was fun, but I will not be continuing it. I do plan to write a new LoZ story later, but it will be unrelated.

**Stakeout** – Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fandom. Chapter three is underway, but since I left the story at a good stopping point, I'm not rushing. I love the fandom, and probably will continue working on it in small chunks.

**Straw Hat Legacy** – One Piece fandom. My first attempt at a sad story. I wanted to write an emotional ending to the show, that would also set up for my own story to follow after. I never intended for their to be a second chapter, much less a third, but I just keep getting pulled back to it. I hope it is finished, but I won't promise there won't be a fourth chapter eventually. And I won't say that it may have Shanks and/or Sabo in it.

**Strength of Will** – Fullmetal Alchemist fandom. Ling is awesome, so I wrote this one up. Not super realistic, but it is what I wanted it to be. Remember, I write for myself. Others enjoying it is just an added benefit.

**Summer House Trip 4** – Azumanga Daioh fandom. My crappiest title so far! I will change the title eventually. I had a plan for this one, but I lost my drive to complete it, and it has fallen into the not-quite-forgotten portion of my brain. I do still remember bits and pieces of my plan for it, so I may continue this summer, when I rewatch the series.

**The Fury of an Otaku** – Lucky Star fandom. A bit OOC, but it was supposed to be. A follow up to A Tsundere and and Otaku that I never intended to write. I've been told it should have been a second chapter instead of a second story, but I didn't feel like it at the time.

**The Legacy Storm** – One Piece fandom. My current obsession. I am actively working on this, and will go straight to writing for it after I post this note. I'm currently working with a few other authors on laying out the story and characters, and I hope it turns out well. Right now, it is looking like 39 chapters. I am still looking for a dedicated partner for this project, so if you are interested, send me a message!

**Viral the Storyteller** – Gurren Lagann fandom. My favorite character from Gurren Lagann didn't have enough stories, so I gave him another. Viral is just too cool not to like! Finished, though. Just not much I wanted to write about here.


End file.
